Solo Cruising: Fear No More

I will have to admit that solo traveling has always been a scary thing for me. However, I recently decided to take that moment of fear to get out of my comfort zone and do my first-ever solo cruise!

I have taken many cruises with friends and family. However, the thought of ever going on my own never crossed my mind until recently when my schedule didn’t coincide with my friends who I wanted to travel with, so I picked a date to get away from the cold environment and headed to the Caribbean!

To be completely transparent, I chose a ship that I already had been on just months before, so I was already comfortable with her and knew her layout to go where I wanted to go. She is a beautiful midsize ship in the fleet of one of the largest cruise ship liners in the world. If you follow my social media, then you will already know what cruise line I tend to take mostly. However, this guide is for my new friends out there thinking of taking their first ever solo cruise.

So let’s shake the butterflies out of our system and get started on our cruise journey “solo”!

Being dropped off for my noontime drop-off came all too quickly the morning of my departure. My anxiety was rising as we neared the port and my friend dropping me off kept asking me if I was nervous going alone for the first time. Yes! Let’s not sugarcoat it, but again I wanted to get out of my comfort zone to do something I had never done before: cruise and leave the country alone, but there was no turning back now!

The cruise was only a five-night trip, so I think I can get through this with no problem! I loaded up my cruise with all of the added-on features such as unlimited dining, unlimited drink packages, and since I was going alone, I might as well treat myself to all the perks that not all my friends would agree to do, right? That’s the upside to traveling solo — you get to choose what you want to purchase as part of your cruise experience without anyone else's input!

I think the key to solo traveling is just putting yourself out there so you can meet new people. It’s one of my favorite things to do. If you are not one to get out and strike up conversations easily, not to worry because cruise lines have meet-ups for “solo travelers,” “LGBT travelers” and plenty of activities to meet new people.

I did attend a few of the meet-ups and activities on this particular cruise and met some amazing people. Just like I do on many past travels, I tend to find new people to talk to and hang out with when I do my solo travels. If this isn’t you, I highly recommend that you go to the meet-ups on the cruises because you will find others that may be similar to you.

Still wondering if it is for you? Get out of your comfort zone because life is way too short to not experience life and see the world while you can at any age that you are. If you are looking for options for solo cruises, please reach out, and I will be happy to help you or suggest places/cruises for you to go on that you are sure to have fun and experience new things that you have never experienced before.

For more inspiration and customized recommendations, visit our cruises page.